Published: October 13, 2024 | Speaker: Mark Freitag | Series: Philippians - Part 1 | Scripture: Philippians 2:1-4
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[Applause] this morning we'll be in
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Philippians we're in uh the focus will be on chapter 2: 1-4 but I would like to read a larger section uh starting in Philippians chapter 1 so if you'll bear
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with me to um since we're jumping into the middle on a oneoff sermon um want to set the context a little more so beginning
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in Philippians 1 verse 27 only cond conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ so
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that whether I come and see you or remain absent I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit with one mind striving together for the faith of
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the Gospel in no way alarmed by your opponents which is a sign of Destruction for them but of salvation for you and that too from God for to you it has been
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granted for for Christ's sake not only to believe in him but also to suffer for his sake experiencing the same conflict which you saw in me and now here to be
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in me if therefore there is any encouragement in Christ if there is any consolation of love if there is any Fellowship of the spirit if any
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affection and compassion make my joy complete by being of the same mind maintaining the Same Love United in spirit intent on one
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purpose do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit but with humility of Mind Let each of you regard one another as more important than himself do not
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merely look out for your own personal interest but also for the interests of others have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus who
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although he existed in the form of God did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped but emptied himself taking the form of a bonder servant and being made in the
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likeness of men and being found in appearance as a man he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death even death on a cross let us
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pray father we just have have sung the words of one of the hymns Speak oh Lord we ask that that you would speak by your Holy Spirit you would speak to our hearts and Minds that you would
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penetrate our our brains and to our very Souls that we might have obedience but that we also might have a greater love for you and a love for your
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word and who we are as Believers and so I ask uh for my own self for strength but I also ask for the congregation that
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we might understand these things and meditate on them and that we might truly be those who stand firm and strive together we ask in Christ's name
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amen Paul has a lot of good things to say to the Philippians in chapter 1:3 says I think my God in all my remembrance of
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you and then he says in always offering prayer with joy in my every prayer for you all he he he's saying I remember all the great
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things there there's nothing that he can think of at this particular writing that would give him
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give him alarm and yet I think as we read the book we realize that that that Paul is not just saying well he here's the they they've got it I don't need to
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preach to you anymore he understands what people are like he understands that several things will happen one of which we see
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in verse 28 of chapter 1 in no way be alarmed by your opponents there would be adversaries there would
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be those and again I would say that Paul is not just writing to the Philippian church but the scriptures are Timeless aren't they that
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he is telling Believers there's going to be opponents there's going to be people who do not believe your gospel do not believe you and think you're
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idiots but there would also be conflicts within the church there would be a tendency we see it in the Corinthian Church fully manifest factions and descent and
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contention and Paul is saying no Unity is essential in the body of Christ Unity is essential to the church
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only conduct yourselves he says in verse 27 of chapter 1 conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ we have a
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witness yes you're going to have adversaries you're going to have people who do not understand who you are and do not like your message but he's saying
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regardless live in a manner worthy of the Gospel or as the writer Sinclair Ferguson wrote living be living illustrations of the gospel's
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power that's what Paul is saying you're going to have people looking at you and watching what you do do do you do you
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walk the talk I think some people would say Our Gospel is a gospel of peace and Reconciliation isn't that what Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5 be reconciled to one
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another be reconciled to God but if there's disunity in the church they are going to be those scoffers aren't they they preach gospel
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of peace and reconciliation but inside their own building they can't get along why are there so many denominations why are there so many churches why are there so many churches
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split and so I think Paul has in here a warning yes there will be opponents but there will also be at least that temptation to have disunity within the
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he wants them to progress in their faith and be sure that progressing in the faith is not earning Our God's approval but living as citizens of the
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Kingdom we have different Customs we have a different language that we speak to one another we have a different character we have different attitudes
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about life and about people and so what he's saying to them in chapter one is two things stand firm against the
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against the opposition and strive together for the faith of the gospel and these two things require Unity he says Christians should not be
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frightened verse 28 again in no way be alarmed by your opponents what what the background of these words in the Greek is is as a horse that's startled into a
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panic when a sharp noise the horse rears up he's saying Christian don't be that way do not panic when these things come
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against you do not be intimidated because your standing firm is a two-fold sign it's a sign to your opponents
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that destruction awaits them it's a Mark that those who oppose God's people will be will be destroyed but it's also a promise as he
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says but Salvation for you you standing firm is a two-fold
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sign and we ought to be striving together stri together stri living together for the faith of the Gospel with one mind with one heart and one Soul we should be a oneold
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people again the idea is a fank of soldiers standing side by side armed and ready to fight together not
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disunity not looking at one another and pretending that one one is better than the than the other but soldiers of the Cross standing
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side by side by side standing firm against opposition striving together for the faith of the Gospel but he's going to tell them how
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does this come about what does this mean what is this on so idea mean to the church and that brings us to chapter 2
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if therefore there is any encouragement in Christ if there is any consolation of love if there is any Fellowship of the spirit if any affection and com
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compassion many people look at these and say well there's all the ifs there's the conditional statement there there you have the the If part and then verse two
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is the then part but that's not how the Greek is constructed here the the if In this passage I believe in verse one means
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s since these blessings have been given to you since you are in Christ since you are in the body since you are under the ministry of the
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word these things given to you by God accordingly let there be evidence of these Graces in your lives and in the church chur so each if clause in verse one has
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a then part it it has a then Clause that goes with it and all of the conditional part the first the if assumes a
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reality it assumes that there is already encouragement it assumes there's already consolation there's already Fellowship but what he's saying is
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there's something there's something deeper there the the encouragement is not just a slap on the back and ah you know come
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know come on Buck it up man you know you you've got this the consolation is not oh it
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happens to everybody just you know there's more there's something deeper again there's a foreign language here that Christ Christian speak and
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know and it would go something like this if there is any encouragement let it be in connection
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with Christ if there's any encouragement it's not coming from you and your traits your skill or your Insight let it be in
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connection with Christ the word in some of your translations will be ad as I can understand it it's a word that is very similar to the word we use for
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the Holy Spirit the pericos it it is a calling alongside a calling to one's side having someone come to our side with
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encouragement and sometimes that's very very hard for Christians isn't it we we we want I'm strong enough I I I got this and we're afraid to call someone
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alongside we're afraid to call a brother or a sister when we're in need and sometimes it's the other we're afraid to go alongside if a brother or sister is
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in need and Paul is saying no I just told you about those opponents I I told you not to be frightened by them but you're still going to need encouragement you're still
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going to need to call alongside especially in this context of adversaries people who hate the gospel of Christ and hate
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you and so he says in connection with Christ so he's looking back remember I told you about the adversaries and now he's going to look forward and he's going to look forward
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to Christ in that great and again the beauty of Philippians there's this these people call them hnic there there's this hnik coming up in verses 5 through 8 and
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nine about the Lord Jesus Christ and he's saying in connection with Christ he was the one who suffered and died and
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was buried and rose again to love and protect and strengthen us and so let that encouragement be in Christ in your relationship with
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Love let it be sorry any consolation Let It Be of Love there might be consolation you might put your arm around someone but is it in love are are are you there's
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there's no sentimentality here there's no mushiness no mushiness here it's a Solace from Real Love and he's already
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described that love in chapter 1:9 because he's praying for that kind of love that they would console one another with verse 9 and I pray this that your love may abound still more and
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more in real knowledge and all discernment see again it's not that sentimentality it's real love he says
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and real love has real understanding and real discernment of what to say or what not to say and how to comfort one
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another and Paul exhibited that as he testifies of himself to the Thessalonians in Chapter 2 of his first epistle to them you know how we were exhorting and encouraging and imploring
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each one of you as a father with his own children see Paul's taking us deeper
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he's he's explaining really what this on solness looks solness looks like in the body of Christ if there is any encouragement let
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it be in Christ if there is any consolation Let It Be of real love if there is any Fellowship Let It Be of the
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spirit the theologians have taken this as Spirit capital S and some have taken it as Spirit little S one of the writers who was helping me
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and at least as I studied this looking at the depth of the the Greek terms basically said now it's been decided this is the capital
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S I'm GNA say I don't know that it has to be one or the other in Galatians
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6 Paul is exhorting the Believers when he says bear one another's burdens and so
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fulfill the law of Christ and yes the context there in Galatians 6 is sin if any of you be overtaken by a sin let him restore one another let him
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bear one another's burdens let him come alongside in that in that sense but Paul has just told them very close to chapter six chapter
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5 let 5 let all walk by the spirit let them as we've learned in Sunday school keep in step with the spirit Paul is implying you
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have the Holy Spirit you ought to be able to do these things because theol holy spirit is in you there there is that power there is that Fellowship of the Holy
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Spirit but I also think that in the context here in Philippians 2 he is talking to people in the church he is talking to people who are face to face shoulder Tosh shoulder wanting to
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worship together the unity of the body and it's a personal relationship thing
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the author Richard lensy writes outward Fellowship is not enough Spirit must fellowship with Spirit see unless we are of the same Spirit unless we are in Christ we can't
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do this you can't have Unity with someone who is not a Believer and and the the idea of the coia if there is any of that coia that
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kind of Fellowship it has to be Spirit to spirit because we speak a different language you cannot understand me I cannot understand you unless we are in the spirit so yes we need to be walking
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with the Holy Spirit but in the Holy Spirit we can communicate together Spirit to Spirit to Spirit and that's how I see this it's I
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don't think it's an either or because he says if there is any Fellowship Let It Be of the spirit and then he characterizes that Fellowship
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it's a fellowship that has affection and compassion the these These are imperatives for brotherto brother relationships sister toister
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relationships is it true spiritual admonition is it true spiritual Love Is it true spiritual Fellowship is it true
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consolation or is it simply a simply a personality that personality that can criticize but come across as
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caring or is it simply done for selfish motives which again is what Paul warns them against in in Galatians chapter 6
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if anyone thinks he is superior he is mistaken if anyone thinks that he is without sin he he's
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wrong Paul seems to add that any Fellowship of the spirit will consist in Tender Mercies and compassions and he's urging them I think
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by when he says in in verse two of this chapter make my joy complete fill complete fill up my
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up my fellowship fill up my cup completely by doing this
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thing being of the same mind maintaining the Same Love United in spirit intent on one purpose
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thing but the problem with that is that it's an un an incomplete idea what is minding and what
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is his meaning of the same that yet minding is not just
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thinking you know I'm I'm thinking about the body no minding is not just thinking but actively attending to what thoughts you have and what
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actions you ought to take within the body and attending to the same things that the rest of the body is attending to with the same feelings with the same
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thoughts with the Same Love he says maintaining the Same Love United in spirit intent on one
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purpose but it's the same thing it's the same kind of mindedness it's actually could be translated be joint sold he's already talked about with one
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heart and one soul in chapter 1 and here he's saying this is what I mean by being one sold joint sold the body is to be one
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sold with one Soul minding this one thing it's a fellowship of
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souls but what is it that we are minding well Paul gives us the negative first and then the positive verse three and I'm sorry someone that I've met in my life you
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know how people say my life verse someone told me his life verse was Philippians 2 verse three a do
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nothing but Paul is saying in reference to reference to self-seeking in reference to making and thinking of yourself as Superior as
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having this selfish attitude that I am first and you are beneath me do nothing have none of it do nothing
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from this attitude or this motive the self-seeking do nothing from selfishness or
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selfishness or self-seeking I don't think it's particularly some of you have the marginal note marginal note contentiousness I think it's a selfishness that may lead to contentiousness or even to Revenge but
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the idea there is selfishness is self-seeking it's what selfish people are after and guess what Paul Paul is saying
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you ought to be minding the same thing well guess what selfish people are minding certain things mainly me myself
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and I they have a mindset that they are first and you're not so Paul is saying do nothing from
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the mindset of self because guess what he says do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit the word might be translated
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vain Glory well what is vain Glory it's glory that you have been seeking and maybe even Attain and guess what it ain't worth anything
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it's it's empty it's in vain whatever you did to get it what a selfish person gets when they
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succeed it's actually empty and empty and Hollow and has no real reward I've just been finished reading a
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book that I got for my my birthday and uh it's about one of the famous Formula 1 racing drivers perhaps you've heard of Nikki L he won a bunch
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of races three World Championships and in the book you're reading you know about his life but somebody said well Nikki what do you do with all those trophies and I haven't kept the
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one cuz I have the memories but the trophy doesn't do anything for me and he actually gave them to the guy who runs the coffee shop his Barista has
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them in his coffee shop and he dusts them every day and looks at them and he gives Nikki free
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cappuccinos that's the idea you you've you've gotten this selfish person but it ain't worth ain't worth anything so Paul says Christians none of that for you do
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nothing that Accords with selfishness no selfishness no secret or insincere selfishness should be allowed to creep in to your approach
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Fellowship but then he goes to the positive but with humility of Mind loneliness of mind consider yourselves as being others
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as being above yourselves secular ideas that you learn in business you learn them on the ball field you you
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learn them in your your neighborhood manhood in our world is equated with self assertiveness and
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imposing my will on somebody else that's what people mean when they say be a man and one one of the authors and I
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like the way he put it he says many people think that they gain by discrediting others it's as if they're saying the the only way I can raise
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myself up is by stepping on somebody else and and that's our world but lowly mindedness humility of mind that Paul has here is not like that he says
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consider others as being above yourself consider others as being Superior to you consider others so that you secure for
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them an as much as you look out for your own
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interests I believe the New American Standard has that but also look out for your own personal interest but also for the interests of others Paul is not saying you should never look out for
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yourself in fact in Galatians 6 when it comes to sin he says your sins are yours alone and you need to deal with them even as he seems to contradict himself
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by saying bear one another's burdens see we have a responsibility as individuals but we're in the body and the body has a responsibility for each
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other and when we look out for others interests when when we consider the other person as deserving first consideration guess what it's a win-win
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situation because as I look out for others interests they're also looking out for my interest and considering my needs as first consideration we both
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win the body wins and we're not merely considering in the sense of well
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I've thought about it and we're not considering something that we know is not true there are people I people I saying I I know I'm smarter than they
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are I I know I have more skills in this area than they do I H I know that I have more ability that's not what Paul is saying he's not saying lie to
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yourself what he's saying is that we are to consider that other people deserve first attention before
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ourselves Romans 12 Paul simply says in honor serve one another honoring them as deserving consideration before myself or again in Galatians 6 bear one
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another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ see the law is still there but when Christ came along it's got a
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different object a different Focus Paul is saying so fulfill the law of law of Christ he's always going to make us look
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at Christ he's always going to focus us as the writer to the Hebrews does looking to
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Jesus and only this lowly mindedness can achieve unity in the body of Christ what did Jesus say he who loses his life will save
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it it's a win-win for all in the body and you might think when you read through Philippians
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2 here we get all get all the exhortation we get all of the what do I do what do I think in verses 1-
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4 and then he comes to verse 5 have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus it's like well Paul you got it
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backwards we we need to see the model and the example first and then the exhortation but I think there's a sense in which if we don't understand verses 1-4 we cannot understand what we we see
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in 5-9 we cannot understand when Paul says have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus Christ was lowly mind
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minded he is yes he's our model and he is our example to follow and Christ was not sappy he was not sentimental he was not insipid he
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wasn't this wasn't this milk toast that so many people want to make him out to
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be but in this idea of lowly mindedness and walking with humility he was the Supreme and greatest example of that manhood and manhood and Womanhood of Being Human and what Paul
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the depth of Paul's meaning of what Unity is
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and it was that lowly mindedness that enabled Christ at that night in Gethsemane to say to the father not my will but thy will be
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done our Union with Christ is is meant to lead us to an imitation of Christ and unity in the body in
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body in encouragement in encouragement in consolation in Fellowship lonly mindedness is not a highly valued Grace
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in our world today but it is absolutely essential for the unity of the body let us
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we do hear these words that we ought to look to Christ as the model as the example of what it means to have
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fellowship with one another and unity and yet father I do pray that we would understand the depth of what Paul is calling us to so that as we read of Christ as we
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look at his Life as we see how he interacts with people and how he prays to you that we would understand more what
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that lowly mindedness is its power and its beauty and its manifestation in the body of Christ we ask that you would do this
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in Christ's name amen you please rise for the benediction
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6 Paul writes and let us not lose heart in doing good for in due time we shall reap if we do not grow weary so then while we have opportunity let us do good to all men and especially to those who
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are of the household of faith amen